Xeikon unveils fastest high-resolution digital five color label press

Xeikon, a division of Punch Graphix, has introduced a new digital color label press, the Xeikon 3300. The Xeikon 3300 offers true 1200 dpi at 4 bits per spot. With a top speed of 19.2 m/min (63 fpm) it is the fastest digital five color label press on the market, particularly suited for short to medium print runs and just-in-time jobs. The first day of Drupa 2008, Europe’s largest print exhibition, marked the official market introduction of the Xeikon 3300.

The Xeikon 3300 is standard-equipped with five color stations. It has four stations for the standard process colors while the fifth allows the use of spot colors as well as opaque white and special security toner. The Xeikon 3300 runs on Xeikon FA toner that combines the benefits of chemically produced toner with the performance of traditionally produced toner and is FDA-approved for use in certain food contact applications. It can print on scalable widths and a wide range of substrates from all sorts of self-adhesive films including co-extruded film, to unsupported film, paper, transparent and opaque foils, and paperboard. The dry toner electro photography imaging process enables the use of conventional substrates without coating or pre-treatment.

With a duty cycle of 700,000 m/month (2,300,000 ft/month), the Xeikon 3300 is designed to operate 24 hours a day if needed. It features full rotary printing technology, which enables printing at rated engine speed regardless of the size of the labels, maintaining maximum productivity. The positioning of the labels can be adjusted to meet finishing equipment requirements and labels with variable formats and sizes can be printed in the same run, increasing productivity while reducing waste and costs.

Punch Graphix’s chief marketing officer Paul Willems states: “With the Xeikon 3300 we offer what we believe is the ideal solution for long-term profitable short to medium-run label production. There is no label it cannot handle. It is more than just a press, it is a total solution, allowing printing and finishing in one go. Featuring an industry-best printing speed, an extremely short and easy set up, a fully integrated digital workflow, and seamless compatibility with any finishing equipment, it considerably reduces the turnaround time per job, which allows producing more short or medium-run jobs per shift than on any traditional press. When we add to that its superior print quality, it is obvious why we believe the Xeikon 3300 is going to change label printing forever.”